No Dalit MP from K'taka in Union Cabinet: Siddaramaiah slams BJP
Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah has hit out at the BJP for not inducting a Dalit MP from Karnataka in the Union cabinet, saying "upliftment" of the community will not happen just by "big talk".
Five Dalit candidates of the BJP had won from Karnataka in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
"Upliftment of Dalits won't happen just by big talk. In the recent elections several BJP candidates have won from reserved constituencies. Best wishes to them.
"Despite this not even one Dalit MP from the state has got representation in the Union cabinet. Is there a bigger injustice or betrayal than this?" Siddaramaiah, who is also the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, tweeted in Kannada.
Calling Siddaramaiah "Twitter Ramaiah," the Karnataka BJP hit back at the Congress leader and asked him to make veteran party leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who lost in the Lok Sabha polls, the chief minister, if he really cared for Dalits.
People are also aware that it was Siddaramaiah who prevented G Parameshwara (now deputy chief minister) from becoming the chief minister as he was a Dalit, it alleged in a tweet in Kanada.
"Respected Twitter Ramaiah. Don't show your love towards Dalits only through your tweets. People of the state know that you averted chief minister position to G Parameshwara (now deputy chief minister), as he was a Dalit.
"If you really cared for Dalits make Mallikarjun Kharge, who has lost election- the CM," the Karnataka BJP tweeted.
Lok Sabha members from Karnataka-- Pralhad Joshi (Union parliamentary affairs minister), D V Sadananda Gowda (Union chemicals and fertilizers minister) and Suresh Angadi (minister of state for railways) were inducted into Narendra Modi's council of ministers last Thursday, apart from Nirmala Sitharaman (Union finance minister), who was elected to the Rajya Sabha from the state.
The induction of Gowda from the Vokkaliga community and Angadi from the Lingayat community is considered as a balancing act to give representation to the two dominant communities of Karnataka in the Union cabinet.
Joshi and Sitharaman are Brahmins.
State BJP leaders are hopeful of more representation for Karnataka in the next round of expansion of the Modi ministry, including for Dalits and Lingayats as more number of seats were won by the communities- nine in all.
In the Lok Sabha polls, the saffron wave had swept the entire state, with the BJP winning 25 of the 28 seats, breaking barriers of caste and region.
Though Lingayats were considered as a vote bank of the BJP and Vokkaligas for JD(S) and to an extent of the Congress, a larger consolidation of Hindu votes in favour of the saffron party, including from backward classes and Dalits, was seen in this general elections.
Region-wise, the BJP that was considered to be strong in Mumbai Karnataka, the state's coastal belt and to an extent in Hyderabad Karnataka, has made inroads distinctively into the Old Mysuru region this time, which was earlier said to be a battlefield reserved for the Congress and JD(S).
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Late flourish masks CSK’s batting woes on lively Chepauk track, hosts post 158/7
Chennai (PTI): Bowlers calling the shots in a format dominated by big hitters is a rarity, but that script played out at Chepauk on Sunday as Gujarat Titans exploited a lively, bounce-friendly surface to stifle Chennai Super Kings before the hosts managed a late flourish to reach 158 for 7.
On a pitch that offered sharp carry, stroke-making demanded discretion and adaptability. Instead, CSK’s batters often opted for high-risk shots without fully assessing conditions, and paid the price with a flurry of miscued dismissals.
Invited to bat, CSK never quite found rhythm but skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s maiden half-century (74 not out) of the current IPL season lent a semblance of respectability to the total in a season where 200-plus scores have become commonplace.
Gaikwad's knock came off 60 balls with six fours and four sixes after a laboured start.
The tone was set early by GT pacer Mohammed Siraj, who extracted steep bounce and forced errors.
Sanju Samson (11) began watchfully, negotiating the first over before opening up against Kagiso Rabada to bring up his 5000 IPL runs milestone. However, Rabada’s bounce soon accounted for him as a hard slash outside off resulted in a faint edge that Jos Buttler pouched safely.
The dismissal triggered a collapse. Urvil Patel (4) fell in the same Rabada over attempting an ambitious pull, while Sarfaraz Khan (0) succumbed to Siraj’s extra lift, mistiming a short ball to offer a simple catch.
At 28 for 3 inside the Powerplay, CSK were already in trouble.
Gaikwad and Dewald Brevis (2) needed to rebuild, but the latter’s impatience against spinner Manav Suthar led to his downfall, holing out after failing to get to the pitch of the ball.
The mounting wickets forced Gaikwad into a shell — an approach that, while understandable, further stalled the momentum. His reluctance to improvise allowed dot balls to pile up, with CSK reaching 50 only in the 12th over.
The skipper eventually broke free, taking on Arshad Khan and Jason Holder with a couple of towering sixes, but the acceleration came too late.
Shivam Dube, dropped thrice on 6, 11 and 22, struggled for fluency before Arshad cleaned him up.
Kartik Sharma (15) and Jamie Overton (18) provided late impetus with a few lusty hits, but the damage had already been done.
On a pitch that rewarded discipline and smart shot selection, Titans' bowlers executed their plans to perfection, while CSK’s batters failed to read the conditions in time, a lapse that ultimately defined the innings.
